Shoe midsole and article of footwear and manufacturing method therefor

ABSTRACT

Article of footwear comprising a midsole, the midsole comprises an opening and closing component such as zippers or Velcro. During the manufacturing process of lasting construction, a shoe last can put into a shoe upper integrated with the midsole through the released opening and closing component of midsole to finish the put-on last step. After the opening and closing component of midsole is sealed, a procedure similar to broad lasting is finished, and a sole laying step and a formation step can be continued.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an article of footwear, and moreparticularly relates to a shoe midsole and article of footwear andmanufacturing Method therefore.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a midsole and an article of footwearand a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to anarticle of footwear having an opening and closing component in themidsole, and a method of making a shoe using a midsole having an openingand closing component.

In general, the method of shaping the upper in the shoemaking process ismainly divided into two methods: Board Lasting and Slip Lasting. Amongthem, the Board Lasting method is mainly used for the production ofleather shoes and boots, and the Slip Lasting method is mainly used forthe production of sports shoes and casual shoes.

In the Slip Lasting making method, the upper and the midsole are mostlyintegrated by the sewing method, a foot space for the foot to beextended into is formed, and the last is put into the foot space to makethe shoes upper shaped. Then, outside the bottom of the foot space, thesole is attached to the midsole to complete the bottom molding.

In the Board Lasting method, the midsole is first fixed on the bottom ofthe last, the upper is covered with the last, the bottom of the upperand the periphery of the midsole are attached together by climbing, andthe upper can be tightly attached and shaped, then stick the sole to themidsole to complete the bottom molding.

The Board Lasting manufacturing method requires a relatively largenumber of processes, and it is necessary for a shoe-making master with acertain seniority to engage in work such as front climbing, rearclimbing, and side climbing, which requires skilled labors, and consumesmore labor costs, and the production efficiency is relatively low.However, for some types of shoes, either because the last is difficultto put into the foot space above the upper, or due to the aesthetics ofthe upper, it is impossible to use the Slip Lasting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a novel midsole structure of a shoe thatcan realize another simple manufacturing method without the need of aprofessional machine or multi-year artificial training, that is, theeffect of the conventional Board Lasting method can be achieved.

The present invention provides a shoe midsole having an opening andclosing component, and the opening and closing component may be a zipperor a Velcro.

The invention provides a shoe midsole having an opening and closingcomponent. When the opening and closing component is fully opened, themidsole of the shoe is divided into two completely separated halfmidsole.

The invention provides a midsole of a shoe, comprising: a midsole bodyhaving an opening; an opening and closing component disposed along theopening edges to open and close the opening.

The invention provides a shoe midsole comprising a midsole body havingan opening; an opening and closing component, wherein the opening andclosing component is two fabrics having corresponding structures, whichare respectively fixed on both sides of the opening.

The invention provides a shoe midsole comprising a midsole body and azipper. The midsole body has an opening and the zipper is disposed alongthe opening edges. Wherein, the zipper comprises a slider, a top stop, abottom stop, and a chain or teeth. Wherein, the slider is flat, so thatthe thickness of the zipper is approximately equivalent to the thicknessof the midsole body.

The invention provides an article of footwear comprising an upper havinga three-dimensional shape of a foot; a midsole conforming to the shapeof the sole of the foot and having a zipper; wherein the upper iscombined with the periphery of the midsole to provide a foot space intowhich the foot extends. The upper and the midsole can be integrated intoone by sewing. The article of footwear further includes a shoe sole thatis in close contact with the midsole outside the foot space; wherein theshoe sole may be adhesively attached to the midsole in a bottoming step.The article of footwear further includes an insole stacked over themidsole in the foot space.

The invention provides a method for manufacturing footwear. When a shoeupper and a periphery of midsole having an opening and closing componentare combined, it becomes a semi-finished product of footwear; a last canpass through the loosened opening and closing component from the bottomof the semi-finished product into the foot space formed by the upper andthe midsole. When the last and the midsole are fitted together, theopening and closing component is closed, and the subsequent shoemakingsteps of bottom forming and upper shaping can be performed.

By the present invention, a new Zipper Lasting shoemaking method can berealized, which makes the shoemaking process more efficient andcost-effective.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be further described below in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C are schematic views of a midsole of a shoe accordingto the present invention;

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an article of footwear of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of another article of footwear of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of another article of footwear of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the footwear manufacturing method of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The opening and closing component referred to in the present inventionrefers to a buckle, a zipper, a Velcro(hook-and-loop fastener) or thelike, and is a component that binds or fastens an opening together. Theso-called opening can also be really separating opening, comprising twoseparate objects combined by means of opening and closing component,such as a jacket opening. When the opening and closing component isloosened, an object can pass through the opening; when the opening andclosing member is closed, the opening is combined to form a fasteningstate. Since the zipper is the most well-known among them, some of thefollowing embodiments illustrate the invention with the zipper as theopening and closing component.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the present invention provides a midsole 10comprising a midsole body 11 and an opening and closing component 23. Ingeneral, the opening and closing component 23 is two fabrics havingcorresponding structures. The midsole 10 may be formed by sewing themidsole body 11 and the opening and closing component 23. FIG. 1B is aschematic view of a semi-finished product of an embodiment of the shoemidsole of the present invention, showing two separate half midsolebodies 11 and the opening and closing component 23 before sewing. Or, asshown in FIG. 1C, another method for manufacturing the midsole of thepresent invention, a whole bottom material 30 has a plurality of rows ofopening and closing components 23 embedded therein, and then cut byusing a foot plate model stripper bar or a laser cutting method.

Referring to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the present invention provides amidsole 10 comprising a midsole body 11 and a zipper 12. The midsolebody 11 has an opening along which the zipper 12 is disposed to open andclose the opening. FIG. 2A shows the zipper 12 is closed and closed theopening. Wherein, the zipper includes a slider 13, a top stop 14, abottom stop 15, and a chain or teeth 16. In order to make the thicknessof the zipper approximately equal to the thickness of the midsole body,the slider 13 may be of a flat thin shape and does not need to have apuller and a tab. As shown in FIG. 2B, the zipper 12 can be a structurewithout a top stop, and the slider 13 can be further separated from themidsole 10. In addition, the drawings of FIGS. 2A to 2B are forconvenience of explaining the structure of the zipper, and do notindicate the relative size relationship and position of the midsole body11 and the zipper 12. For example, in conjunction with the shoemakingprocess, when the zipper 12 is fully opened, the midsole can be twocompletely separated half midsole. In addition, the zipper 12 may be astructure without both top stop and bottom stop. For example, in themidsole material 30 of FIG. 2C, several rows of chain or teeth 16 havebeen embedded, when a piece of midsole is cut out by using a footboardmodel stripper bar or a laser cutting method, the zipper on the midsoleis the structure with the chain or teeth 16 only. Then use a tool ormachine to attach the slider to the midsole, and attach the bottom ortop stop to the zipper as needed.

Referring to FIG. 3, the present invention provides an article offootwear comprising an upper 21 for fitting a three-dimensional shape ofa foot; a midsole 22 conforming to the shape of the sole of the foot andhaving an opening and closing component 23; wherein the upper iscombined with the periphery of the midsole, creating a foot space 24into which the foot can extend. The opening and closing component 23 canbe either a zipper or a hook-and-loop fastener. The upper 21 and themidsole 22 may be integrally formed by sewing, or may be formed by otherbonding methods. The sewing method can be divided into three-dimensionalsewing and flat sewing. The three-dimensional sewing is as shown in FIG.3, the bottom edge 25 of the upper will cover the periphery 27 of themidsole, and then the needle car will fit into the foot space 24 andseam the overlapping of the periphery of the midsole 26 and the bottomedge 27 of the upper. The flat seam, that is, the upper bottom edge 25and the midsole periphery 27 are attached to the same plane as themidsole 22, and can be placed on the needle table top, sewing theoverlapping of the flat upper bottom edge 25 and the midsole periphery27.

Referring to FIG. 4, a last 26 can be passed from the bottom of thearticle of footwear through the released opening and closing component23 into the foot space formed by the upper 21 and the midsole 22. Whenthe last 26 and the midsole 22 are fitted together, the upper 21 will betightly attached to the last 26 to form a climbing-like effect after theopening and closing component 23 is closed, and then the bottom formingand upper shaping shoemaking steps can be performed. The opening andclosing component 23 can be a zipper without a top stop. When the zipperis tightly closed, the slider can also be directly separated from themidsole, so that the midsole is relatively flat.

This invention is helpful even for the current shoe production processthat has been adopted in the Slip Lasting process. Whether the lastingis done manually or by machine, since the upper and the midsole aredifficult to move after the last is slipped, if the position of the lastis deviated, it is necessary to pull the last out and rework. By usingthe invention, when the zipper is released, the last can be moved to thecorrect position in the foot space, and the zipper is closed after thepositioning is completed, so that the midsole and the upper are tightlypressed against the last and shaped. Therefore, the shoes currently madeby either the Slip Lasting manufacturing method or the Board Lastingmanufacturing method can change the manufacturing method to the ZipperLasting method of the present invention.

In another embodiment, the midsole may also have both a zipper and ahook-and-loop fastener. When it is necessary to do further climbing tothe upper nearby the toe or heel of shoe, the midsole not only has azipper in the middle, but also has the structure of hook-and-loopfastener closed to the toe and heel of shoe. The inner surface of theupper close to the toe and the heel has the structure of hook-and-loopfastener corresponding to the midsole. After the last set into the footspace and fit the upper and the midsole, and the zipper is closed, pullthe upper close to the toe and the heel to relative hook-and-loop partof the midsole respectively, attach to the opposing surfaces to befastened, and make the upper look straight and tight.

Referring to FIG. 5, the article of footwear of the present inventionfurther includes a sole 28 that is in close contact with the midsole 22outside the foot space 24. Wherein, the sole 28 is adhered to themidsole using an adhesive in a bottoming step, and the upper 21 is alsofixed at that time. In another embodiment of the present invention, thesole 28 may be integrally with the midsole by sewing, or by sewing andadhering at the same time.

Referring to FIG. 6, the article of footwear of the present inventionfurther includes an insole 29 that is placed over the midsole 22 in thefoot space so that the foot does not feel the presence of the zipper.Since the insole 29 is placed in the foot space and is not visible fromthe side of the shoe, FIG. 6 shows the position of the insole 29 and themidsole 22 in the shoe in broken lines, and indicates a perspective areawith a little chain line to indicate insole 29 and midsole 22. Inaddition, when the opening and closing component in midsole 22 is azipper, the zipper can be a flat thin shape. For example, the thicknessof the slider, the top stop, the bottom stop, and the chain teeth of thezipper are all equivalent to the thickness of the midsole material, andthe slider may be flat or may not have a pull tab and a cap.

Referring to FIG. 6, the flow chart of the footwear manufacturing methodof the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, step S601, providing amidsole having an opening and an opening and closing component. Themidsole may be formed by sewing a midsole body and the opening andclosing component, or cutting from a whole piece of midsole material inwhich a plurality of rows of opening and closing components have beenembedded by using a footboard model stripper bar or a laser cuttingmethod.

Step S603, combining the midsole with an upper. Step S605, releasing theopening and closing component, passing a last through the opening, intothe foot space formed by the upper and the midsole. Step S607, adjustingthe position of the last to abut the upper and the midsole. Step S609,closing the opening and closing component to close the opening to makethe upper tight, that is, a step of shaping the upper. Step S611,attaching a sole to the midsole. Step S613, removing the last throughthe foot space. Step S615, placing an insole on the midsole in the footspace.

The details of the corresponding footwear manufacturing process havebeen described in the previous embodiments, and are not described hereinagain.

In summary, the present invention provides a midsole and footwearthereof, and a new method of making shoes, which allows the last toenter between the upper and the midsole in a different manner, therebyreducing labor costs and providing an efficient shoemaking process.

What is claimed is:
 1. A midsole of a shoe, comprising: at least twolead frames; a midsole body having an opening; an opening and closingcomponent disposed along the opening edges to open and close theopening.
 2. A midsole of a shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein theopening and closing component is two fabrics having correspondingstructures, which are respectively fixed on both sides of the opening.3. A midsole of a shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the openingand closing component is fully opened, the midsole of the shoe isdivided into two completely separated half midsole.
 4. A midsole of ashoe as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the opening and closingcomponent is fully opened, the midsole of the shoe is divided into twocompletely separated half midsole.
 5. A midsole of a shoe as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the opening and closing component is a hook-and-loopfastener.
 6. A midsole of a shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein theopening and closing component is a zipper.
 7. A midsole of a shoe asclaimed in claim 6, wherein the zipper comprises a slider, a bottomstop, and a chain tooth.
 8. A midsole of a shoe as claimed in claim 7,wherein the slider is flat, and the thickness of the zipper isapproximately equivalent to the thickness of the midsole body.
 9. Anarticle of footwear comprising: an upper; and a midsole comprising; amidsole body having an opening; and an opening and closing componentdisposed along the opening edges to open and close the opening; whereinthe upper is combined with the periphery of the midsole to provide afoot space into which the foot extends.
 10. An article of footwear asclaimed in claim 9, wherein the upper and the midsole can be integratedinto one by sewing.
 11. An article of footwear as claimed in claim 9,wherein the opening and closing component is a hook-and-loop fastener.12. An article of footwear as claimed in claim 9, wherein the openingand closing component is a zipper.
 13. An article of footwear as claimedin claim 12, wherein the zipper comprises a slider, a bottom stop, and achain tooth.
 14. An article of footwear as claimed in claim 13, whereinthe zipper further comprises a top stop.
 15. An article of footwear asclaimed in claim 9, further comprising: a shoe sole, in close contactwith the midsole outside the foot space; an insole, stacked over themidsole in the foot space.
 16. A method for manufacturing footwear,comprising: providing a midsole having an opening and an opening andclosing component; combining the midsole with an upper; releasing theopening and closing component, passing a last through the opening, intothe foot space formed by the upper and the midsole; adjusting theposition of the last to abut the upper and the midsole; closing theopening and closing component to close the opening.
 17. A method formanufacturing footwear as claimed in claim 16, wherein the opening andclosing component is a hook-and-loop fastener.
 18. A method formanufacturing footwear as claimed in claim 16, wherein the opening andclosing component is a zipper.
 19. A method for manufacturing footwearas claimed in claim 17, wherein the inner surface of the upper close tothe toe and the heel has the structure of hook-and-loop fastenercorresponding to the relative hook-and-loop part of the midsole.
 20. Amethod for manufacturing footwear as claimed in claim 18, wherein, afterthe zipper is tightened and closed, the slider of the zipper isdisengaged from the midsole.